IGN FF16 review is almost like a critique of FF14's own issues

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Reskins/colors honestly aren't anything new in games. We got them back in the beginning days of the NES. If you only counted unique sprites/models you'd find every bestiary to be considerably smaller. Granted on those older titles they do have a much larger amount of unique sprites/models to begin with. In regards to the FF7 remake games they've basically already got a template for the design already from the original game.

Totally - I'm not saying reskins are new. I also work on game art and know how that goes. It's just their initial set BEFORE the reskins happen, is very limited.

Also I don't know what you mean about a template from the original game.. Are you talking about the fact that VII:R had pre-existing ideas for creatures?
Then sure. So does XVI with all past FF titles. Like I said again, they have such an expansive library to choose from. They DID pick from some, and even did direct model rips.. But they didn't do enough. That can be said for any new FF releasing to be honest. There's decades of ideas.

But what I'm talking about here are unique assets, not just the ideas. Like how the Eikons are pulled from existing FF ideas and tropes, but are new designs. Hope that gives better context.

Also Akashic, although a reskin - Felt kinda lazy you know? Like I don't usually mind reskins in general. But you just take all of the existing monsters, give them a material overlay and call it good for 2x the monsters. I've never liked that in literally any game. It just sucks, and it's always lazy. They could have reskinned them to look DIFFERENT, or shown how they actually changed. Instead of just adding glowy eyes and a material overlay. It's not good, it's never been good in games. They took the lazy way out in like 90% of this game.

Edit: Sometimes I feel like CBU:III is a team that wants to prove they can cut costs, and some things tend to really suffer for it. Because they often put more effort into spectacle and sell-ability than they do actual gameplay.